Maybe
by twilightmask
Summary: Elizabeth worries that Will may eventually turn "tentacley" if she eventually dies. Along with the help from some...different...pirates, perhaps there's a way to beat death and live forever.
1. Nightmare

The salty air blew her fast streaming tear across her face, as a flash of bright green lit up the horizon. Her gaze was held by the fiery light that was quickly falling beneath the sea. The partly revealed sun still cast its orange glow across the beachside and tickled the palm leaves. It gently removed itself from her golden brown hair and the brightness of the beachside was taken along with her soul. The dark blue, swirling, freezing waves splashed against her legs, wetting her thin dress, mocking her incessantly. Yet she could not feel the coldness of the water, or the warmness of the sun. She could not taste the saltiness of the wind or the tears that covered her face. She could not feel a thing as she sat down on the wet sand, rocking back and forth like a child, clutching the worn chest close to her heart. As close as two hearts would ever get. She closed her eyes and breathed rhythmically to the beating of the heart of her beloved…and she cried letting go of whatever sanity she still had. The waves once again circled around her shivering body as she let out screams of agony and distress. Seagulls squawked surprisedly and flew away from the helpless female on the sand. Her screams shifted to sobs, shifted to whimpers, shifted to bitter silence. Her mind tried to focus on other aspects of life, desperately searching for some sort of light that could instead warm her from the inside. Her mind backtracked…but not so far back. She saw his lovely face again and she smiled a cold smile. A lifeless smile, but a smile all the same. His wispy brown hair danced happily in the breeze and his melting chocolate-colored eyes enraptured her once again, just as when they had first met. He wasn't the only thing in her vision though. She shifted her eyes to the open sea that was all around them. He slipped his hand into hers and whispered her name softly…Elizabeth. The ship rocked back and forth, the sails flapping eagerly in the salty wind. But her dream rudely turned a different course. The skies quickly grew dark and the calm winds turned rough. She screamed and held onto her lover, but he was fading slowly. A flash of lightning revealed the horrifying image of Davy Jones, cackling all the while, before reverting back to the sad expressions of Will. She tried to grab onto his arm, but as fast as the vision had come, it disappeared. She flung her arms around the ship's mast hoping it would end. The wooden ship turned sharply to the left and she realized someone was driving it. The ship was being directed in a direction that led to a more serene looking island, lush and sweet. Quickly she glanced at the person at the helm. Through the rain and thunder, she could make out an all too familiar face…

The dream stopped there. She awoke with a start. Sweat stuck pieces of wet hair to her face. Lightly, the rain dropped onto the beach. Her wet dress clung to her legs as she stood up slowly. The chest still buried in her arms, she sat under a large tree, sheltered by its fronds. She caressed the chest and glanced back at the stormy seas with a faraway look in her eyes. The dream she had only reminded her of the pirates she had left behind but a few days ago. The depressed looks in their eyes haunted her unguarded mind. One thing made her remember why those pirates had been a sort of family,

_The fire burned, crackling every once and a while to send hot sparks flying out of it and into the starry nighttime sky. Around and around she drunkenly danced with one of the most famous pirate captains ever._

_"Drink up me hearties, yo ho!" They chorused together, laughing with a bottle of rum in hand. _

She hugged herself as she watched the rolling, tumbling waves crash against the sand. Quietly, she began to sing to herself,

"We're devils and black sheep, really bad eggs. Drink up me hearties, yo ho. Yo ho, yo ho a pirate's life for me…" Her voice was overpowered by the waves and was lost in the screaming of the wind.

The seagulls soared overhead and pecked at the still being. It opened its eyes one by one before flailing its arms wildly, scaring the birds away. White marks appeared on its shoulders.

"Sir, I do believe that's…" One dark-circled eye and raised eyebrow glared at the sea-mate. He bent his head in shame and scurried away. The salty waters splashed up and doused the crew unforgivingly. Although the sun was setting, and the waters should have been calm, the sea never was calm in the presence of sailors. Well, not really sailors…more of pirates.

The ship rocked back and forth on the unsettled sea, as once again, the Black Pearl sailed without a heading; its black sails billowing in the breeze and its dark, wooden hull trying to steady itself. Its captain made a charismatic face at the spinning needle on the compass and snapped it shut. His first mate swaggered next to him.

"Captain, we've been sailin' for days on end without even a clue of where we're goin'…again! Can ya please give some sort of heading?" His captain gave him the same look he had given the other mate.

"And I finally got my ship back…again!" He mimicked the first mate.

"Now listen, Gibbs. We both understand and know that I am the captain, right?" He questioned. Gibbs nodded, getting a little bit nervous at where this was headed.

"And we all know that everyone obeys the captain, right?" He nodded slowly again.

"And if the captain doesn't give any orders for the moment, then the crew members have no orders, and then the ship has no orders so the ship just sails…which isn't an order, but it still does so, savvy?" Confusedly, Gibbs nodded once again.

"So if the ship is doing its job of sailing does it not give orders to the mates to do their jobs, technically, and you all make me do my job of keeping us all good, respectable pirates 'cause you're a bunch of idiots, yes?" Gibbs began to stutter,

"B-but captain, we need to dock eventually right?"

"Yes, yes, that's all good, but I've just gotten back! The heading is of no importance right now. We're following this." He waved the compass back and forth in front of his face.

"Captain…why can't we all just admit that it's broken?" A disgusted look spread across the face of the captain,

"Bugger, you're just jealous." Gibbs surprisedly leapt back,

"Am not!"

"Are too."

"Am not!"

"Are considerably, definitely, truly…" Gibbs shook his head and left the captain before he could finish. The captain stuck out his tongue, fixed his hat, and eyed the compass again, shaking it profusely.

"C'mon you stupid bloody thing…" He opened it quickly. The needle turned back and forth but still wouldn't give a definite direction. He rolled his eyes,

"Now how come you worked for Lizzie before, eh?" He grumbled slightly. Glancing up, he squinted and saw that dark, foreboding clouds were gathering on the horizon line. An older, harsher pirate spoke suddenly,

"Doesn't work for ye?" Barbossa grinned, showing more rotten teeth than ever imagined. The other pirate grimaced.

"Just because I let you stow away, doesn't mean you get to pop up like that." The captain shuddered. The grin flashed away and he rolled his eyes.

"I forced ye to let me on _**my **_ship. What happened to _**Captain **_Jack Sparrow anyways?" Jack opened his mouth to answer but found no words to come out. He shut it; there were no witty comebacks in mind. He childishly tried shooing away Barbossa. The bigger pirate merely pushed Jack aside and began turning the wheel.

"Hey!" Jack yelled. Another golden toothed, missing toothed smile crawled onto Barbossa's face,

"Sorry, Jack. If that compass don't work for ye, I'm captain again." Jack gave a bewildered look,

"What do you bloody mean!? I never said that!" The old pirate shrugged,

"Like Gibbs said, if we ain't got a heading, someone else needs to take over." Jack growled lowly and was about to argue once more, but a loud rumble of thunder stopped both of them. They were already head-on into the storm. Gibbs shook his head. Those two idiots, too busy babbling about who was to be captain, and now was when Gibbs wished most that he was on a quiet, safe island with rum and a warm place to sleep.

"Drop the anchors!" Barbossa hollered.

"Raise the anchors!" Jack retorted. A fiery glare shot from the other pirate's eyes.

"I said I was captain!" He snarled loudly.

"Well, some captain you are for sailing us into a storm!" Rain poured down on the Black Pearl, and the seas angrily tossed it around and around. Jack fixed his hat once again and shook the compass. It spun around and around, but to his surprise, finally pointed in a definite direction.

"That way!" He called out to his crew. Barbossa shook his head,

"Don't do that! We'll be heading further into the storm!" Jack responded calmly,

"Well, if the compass is working for me now, that must mean something." Barbossa twitched, clearly annoyed at Jack's immaturity. They wrestled for a bit over who was going to steer the wheel, until Barbossa unsheathed his sword.

"I be not messing with ye Jack." He grumbled lowly at the unaware pirate. Jack raised his hands defensively and opened his mouth to respond, but suddenly the ship shook violently beneath them and flung both men to their knees.

"I be guessing Calypso or that Will be angry with ye Jack." The mangy pirate snapped, as he quickly shoved the sword back. Jack shrugged,

"A lot of people are angry with me all the time, Barbossa, you including, but I really can't quite exactly tell why they would be mad at me. I haven't annoyed either of them…" He assured himself and Barbossa. The ship shook once again and the pitch black waters sloshed themselves on deck. Jack pulled himself up and fixed his hat,

"I, uh think…" Barbossa cursed under his breath as he struggled to keep from being swished away into open sea.

"Ye think!?" He yelled at him. Jack jumped back in surprise and winced,

"Sorry, sorry!" He apologized. Gibbs cursed under his breath and yelled out above the screaming seas and winds,

"Where are we going, captains!?" He added the extra "s" at the end so as to not displease either pirate and send them back into an argument over who was captain. Jack pointed to a nearby island.

"For right now, let's port there, Gibbs! It'll be best, until we can sail out of this storm!" For once Barbossa nodded and agreed with Captain Sparrow's thinking. They turned the wheel, and the ship obeyed, following its new course of direction.

"Seems we be going with the current now, captains!" Gibbs noted. Barbossa's eyebrows furrowed in thought and slight confusion,

"That'd be strange. Usually currents flow away from land." Jack shrugged,

"Oh well, ho hum, just makes things easier the way I see it." He replied quickly. The older pirate didn't seem convinced. He grunted and headed below deck. Jack and Gibbs looked at each other and shrugged. The seas did turn unusually rough, and Barbossa's comment on currents made it all the more confusing. Supposedly, the two rulers of the seas were somehow against him. Well, that was all good and fine with him. He always managed to squeeze out of tight situations…literally at times. The silhouetted island approached their view fast, as the Black Pearl clumsily sailed on the disturbed waters. There was a measly dock ahead, but Jack spun the wheel to the right. He wasn't going to dock there with his wonderful ship. Pride always did seem to get the better of him at times. Gibbs raised an eyebrow, but turned his attention back to the sail he was struggling to keep taut. As soon as they felt the ship scrape the sand beneath them, most of the crew leaped off the edge of the ship and began pulling it into place, high enough on the sand to keep it from floating off. They heaved and ho-ed in the screeching wind that seemed to try to pull them off the face of the Earth, and into the dark clouds above. Thunder rumbled loudly and lightening chorused off in the distance with multiple flashes that set the sky a light. The waves crashed down on them, trying to yank them off their feet and pull them into deeper waters. Eventually, they were able to pull the Black Pearl in enough and tie a few ropes to some sturdy-looking palm trees. Able to rest, they slowly dragged their feet back to the ship and climbed nimbly up the side. They began filing down below deck for shelter and something to eat. Jack however kept staring off into the distance, squinting. Pintel and Ragetti shared devious looks in their eyes before scurrying below deck. Gibbs lumbered behind, clearly quite worn out. Tiredly, he asked him,

"What be in the distance that captures your eyes?" He slurred. Jack blinked his eyes a couple of times before turning to him,

"Oh, ah nothing, nothing. I just thought I saw something." He reassured the old first-mate. Gibbs nodded and followed the rest of them inside. Jack carefully looked around to make sure no one was watching and jumped down onto the wet sand. He had seen something. And he sure hoped it wasn't what he thought it was. He trudged in the receding waves, only to be hit full force with them again. He blubbered a little, and quickly climbed up the beachside. A slight dent in his pride, he walked down the beach, to try to see if there was something there. Suddenly, he fell forward. Jack grabbed a palm trunk and cursed under his breath. He looked down and saw the curled-up figure of a woman. Surprised and curious, he bent down and turned the body over. He jumped back as he recognized the face. Slowly he shook his head,

"Put you here did he?" He hoisted her body up and slung it over his shoulder. Jack wheezed slightly. To no offense of the woman, but she had gotten heavier since he had last seen her, and that wasn't too long ago. Maybe it was just because he was a little weak in the arms. Something dropped out of her arms and thudded on the ground. Her eyes immediately snapped open, and she shrieked,

"Oh my goodness, let me go!" She flailed about hitting Jack numerous times in the back of the head and stomach.

"Oof!" He gasped and dropped her. She quickly got to her feet and put a sword to his neck. A flash of lightening revealed who he was to her. Her fast breathing slowed to a normal pace. In relief, she collapsed. Jack just caught her by the arm and pulled her up. Her face went from relieved to very agitated all too quickly. She crossed her arms and stared him down, quite frankly annoyed. He bit his lip and shrugged,

"Uh…hi, Lizzie?" She shoved her sword back and threw her hands up in the air,

"Is that all you can say?" Elizabeth sarcastically remarked, placing her hands on her hips in that all too familiar feminine way. Jack blinked,

"Y'know I could say a lot of really bad…" She ignored him as she wildly looked about her,

"Where is it?" She desperately huffed. Captain Sparrow was incredibly confused,

"Where's what?" He asked. She glared at him again,

"Nothing, nothing. I…oh, there it is!" She exclaimed; relief washed over her face again. Quickly, she grabbed the object that he had heard hit the ground. He tried taking a peek at it, but she instantly turned away,

"Stop it!" She snapped. He pulled back quickly. Elizabeth was in a terrible mood. She nearly had a heart attack, thinking that she was being abducted or something, and although Jack wasn't meaning to be rude or annoying…he was. She pushed the object against the palm tree and hid it with her body. A pout stuck on her face and her arms crossed tightly in front of her, crouching in the freezing rain. The pirate shook his head. Elizabeth had always been stubborn, just like he was. Soon after that thought, he broke into a small grin. That's what he always had found interesting. He scratched the back of his head,

"So, should I just leave you here then?" The question floated in the air silently. Elizabeth's eyes softened, realizing that she had been a little obnoxious. She glanced up at him,

"How-how did you find me?" Jack raised his eyebrows,

"You answer my question first." He stated a bit immaturely. Elizabeth merely shook her head in disbelief,

"Okay…fine then. Don't leave yet; you have to answer my question Captain Sparrow."

"Initiating a "parler" are we Captain Swann?" He addressed her answer indirectly. She, instead of smiling like he thought she would, furrowed her eyebrows and the sides of her lips pulled down,

"It's Mrs. Turner now." She reminded him a little harshly. He felt a little hurt by that comment, but he didn't know why.

"I'm not a pirate anymore, Jack. I'm going to be a wife." That was why it was hurting. Not a pirate anymore… Seeing the normally drunken pirate's slightly upsetting disposition, she tried to smooth out the statement,

"What I mean is…I'm not "Captain"…" She trailed off,

"Or Ms. Swann." Jack finished her thought. He sort of awkwardly leaned on a palm tree with his shoulder, legs crossed. Elizabeth hadn't meant to shake the dark haired pirate up, but unfortunately she had. Slowly, she tried to ease him,

"So, how did you find me?" It was another awkward sentence. He shrugged, and looked out at the calming sea,

"I saw a dark lump, and I thought it was a person. Surprisingly, it was you." The slight curtness in his voice made Elizabeth feel only guiltier. She tried responding a little more lightly,

"Oh, I'm glad you found me…and that you weren't some other…"

"Pirate." He shortly said. She glanced away a little dejectedly. There was a small moment of silence,

"Well, I'm going back to my ship then." He lowly muttered. Elizabeth bit her lip,

"No, wait I'm sorry." He kept walking. She scrambled up and ran down the beachside,

"No wait, really!" He started walking faster. She picked up her pace and started to run. He started to run. Finally, she tripped over a rock and fell flat on her face. He threw a backwards glance and fell over himself. At first, a sandy-faced Elizabeth thought he was angry, as she heard a muffled noise coming from him. Suddenly, she heard laughter. Confused, she crawled next to him and sat back on the balls of her feet, staring. He pushed himself and laughed again. His laughing made her laugh. They brushed the sand off themselves.

"Well, have fun on this island then, Lizzie." He said and started off towards his ship. She grabbed his arm.

"Wait…look…I'm sorry…I just don't know what happened…" She confusedly stumbled for words.

"I just got really short-tempered…I'm so sorry." She murmured truthfully and sincerely. Jack eyed her, unsure as to whether or not to believe her.

"Do you mean every word?" He questioned her. She glanced up at him,

"I do believe I've said that line before." The pirate winked,

"I do believe you have." Signaling his untold forgiveness. He turned around,

"Although my incredibly intuitive senses, that I'm sure I've already told you about, tell me something caused this weird mood-changing stuff." He made unclear hand gestures so as to exemplify the "weird" he used in his sentence. She shook her head, hiding the smile that was forming on her face.

"It's nothing, Jack." Though as she said it, her grip on the chest tightened. This he noted. He raised an eyebrow,

"So now that things are all smoothed over, are you going to tell me what's in that?" She hesitantly paused. Slowly, but surely, she creaked open the chest. Jack's eyebrows rose, and his eyes widened. She shut it quickly, as if someone had been watching. He nodded understandingly,

"That's why you were all in a huffy fuss…it's his…" She cut him off,

"Yes, yes I know." She quickly replied. Jack tapped the chest,

"Well, under your watchful care, I'm sure nothing bad's going to happen to this…" She commented playfully,

"Unfortunately for you, Jack." He raised his hands defensively,

"I may be a pirate, but I don't go around wishing for people to get hurt or anything…" He thought for a moment,

"Oh, no wait…maybe…no I don't think that counts…" She rolled her eyes and sighed. He always had to be so literal. Jack grinned,

"Well anyways, let's just say I don't." Tiredly, she cracked a smile,

"Works for me…" He turned once again and started heading towards his ship. Elizabeth hesitated,

"I…I thought we agreed that it was alright." She called out. He nodded profusely,

"Oh yes, of course we did, but I have to get back or else somebody's going to notice I'm gone soon enough…" It was too late. He bumped into the grungy pirate he had learned to despise. Barbossa grinned devilishly,

"Mrs. Turner…" He politely said. He then glared down,

"Jack…" Surprised and nervous, he began to stutter slightly,

"Oh…um, Barbossa…hi…" His rum coated breath intoxicated Jack as Barbossa spoke,

"Hi." He sharply snapped, sending Jack back a few steps.

"Okay, where is it?" He pointed a finger at the pirate menacingly. Jack glanced down at his boots, like a child that had been caught doing a bad deed,

"Uh, where's what?" He muttered. Barbossa stepped forward abruptly, scaring the both of them a little bit,

"Ye know exactly what! Gimme the other piece of the map now!" They tussled a little bit. Pulling each other's hair, throwing a few punches, kicking… Elizabeth rolled her eyes. They could act like such children. Barbossa managed to wrestle the other piece of the map out of Jack's grasp. Captain Sparrow desperately tried to retrieve it,

"It's my part! Give it!" The older pirate scowled,

"No it's not. If you aren't going to find the Fountain of Youth, I'm going to…" Elizabeth's jaw dropped. Both pirates glanced at her hesitantly.

"What?" Jack questioned. She snapped her fingers repeatedly, as she paced back and forth,

"Yes, yes that's the answer!" They looked at each other, and then back at the seemingly crazy woman in front of them.

"What be the answer?" Barbossa asked, hoping to be interested in something. She grinned widely,

"It all makes sense!" She opened her arms widely, forgetting the chest in her arms. It fell onto the sand. Barbossa eyed it. She snatched it back up and carefully looked at the older pirate. Jack nudged him on the shoulder, flung his arm around him, and whispered,

"You might not wanna mess with her and that chest." Barbossa twitched and growled lowly at Jack, as he shoved his arm off,

"Don't touch me…" He muttered. Apparently unfazed, Jack questioned normally,

"So what makes all this sense, Lizzie?" She began to explain,

"See, I had this really weird dream before you both came…" Barbossa rolled his eyes, not amused. Jack silently jabbed him in the side of the stomach, which earned him a hard glare. Elizabeth, too caught up in her train of thought, took no note of this and continued,

"I was on this ship, and it was all nice, and I was with Will." Jack and Barbossa shared the same look this time.

"Anyways, long story short, there was this really nice looking island in my dream, and that might be the Fountain of Youth you two are blabbering about. I think that if I drink some of its water, I can live forever and then Will won't turn into Davy Jones!" She clapped her hands together, obviously very pleased with herself. Both pirates were clearly confused though,

"So…why does drinking that water make Will not turn into Davy Jones?" Captain Sparrow slowly questioned. The taller pirate added,

"And what's all this about Will turning into Davy Jones anyhow?" She waved her hand,

"Never mind, it doesn't matter…but I have to come with you both if we're going to the Fountain of Youth." She insisted. Jack blinked,

"But, I thought you weren't a pirate any…" She cut him off,

"That's not the point!" She stressed. He quieted in fear that Elizabeth's temper would tear him apart, if not her mood swings. She flipped her hair that was in her face,

"Well are you going?" She impatiently asked. The pirates looked at each other, slowly looked at Elizabeth, and then looked at each other again. She placed her hands on her hips again.

"Um, nope!" Jack replied cheerily, trying to sneak off without Elizabeth. She grabbed his arm tightly though,

"Oh no you don't!" She warned him. He stopped, defeated. Barbossa tried leaving as well with the two pieces of the map, but Jack latched on,

"No way, if I'm prisoner, you're one too." He said. Again, the pirate growled. Elizabeth looked pleadingly at Jack,

"Oh please!!!" She insisted again. He thought about it,

"Well…" Barbossa cut in,

"No, we can't." Elizabeth's face fell.

"But, why not?" She stuttered, crest-fallen. Barbossa just shook his head,

"Why should we even let ye have the chance at eternal life? How have ye really helped us in this search?" She contemplated for a bit,

"What about her whole helping us get the key and Davy Jones chest and what not?" Jack offered. Barbossa silenced him with a look,

"That doesn't count. That was only helping ye." He poked him in the forehead. Jack, in defense, slapped around unconsciously hitting Barbossa in the face hard. They began to fight again, and Elizabeth took this time to sneak onto the Black Pearl. When they had finished slapping each other about, they looked for Elizabeth, finally noticing that she was gone.

"Elizabeth!" Jack called out, worried that she had left in anger or distress. Barbossa grumbled,

"See, Jack? She'd only be trouble for us. Now come on, let's go before she gets back." He hesitated. The chest was no longer there, so she had made sure to have taken that…

"Well…okay." He admitted. They trudged back to the ship, every once and a while shoving each other. Elizabeth was laughing quietly to herself, knowing that now she could finally fulfill what she thought was the answer to her strange dream. Now that she was beginning to recall, the ship DID look a lot like the Black Pearl. She hoped that this was it. Suddenly, she felt a pull from behind, and before she could scream, a dirty, rum-smelling hand covered her mouth. She bit the hand, and kicked the person hard in the stomach. The surprised woman was relieved to turn around and only see a cringing Gibbs.

"Oh…I forgot how hard ye fight…" He mumbled, clutching his stomach. She suppressed her laughs,

"W-what was that for?" He shook his head,

"Ye're not supposed to be here, Miss. Swa…er, Mrs. Turner." She felt a sort of guilt from his tone, which made her only wonder.

"But I have to! There's something with Will I…" She heard the loud, rumbling footsteps of Jack and Barbossa from above deck.

"Quick!" Gibbs franticly whispered, as he opened up a large empty barrel. She leapt inside and hid well…although not liking the unpleasant smell of rum once again. Rolling her eyes, she cursed the demon rum, before holding her breath, so as to keep completely silent when Jack and Barbossa's voices began to be heard.

"I…just hope she's alright…" She heard Captain Sparrow mutter. Barbossa's voice snapped,

"Oh, she'll be fine. She's a fighter, I'll give her that." She felt awkward listening in on their conversation. Outside, Jack shrugged,

"Okay, at least she took that chest…" When Barbossa must've been out of an ear-range for Jack, she overheard him softly mutter,

"Though it's weird the compass pointed that way…" Confused, she felt her right eyebrow rise and a look rise onto her face. She heard a door close, and knew that Jack had left into his private quarters. Barbossa's loud boots stopped close to her barrel.

"Gibbs, there be any more apples in this thing?" He rapped against the top of the barrel loudly. Elizabeth froze. She heard Gibbs stutter,

"Oh, ah no, captain. Um, Pintel and Ragetti had the last one in there." Outside, Barbossa scowled,

"Those no good, yeller-bellied rats." He stomped off into his own room and shut the door tightly. Gibbs slowly lifted the top off of the barrel.

"Ye're one lucky gal, Mrs. Turner." He breathed, relieved. Elizabeth nodded.

"I sure am." He handed her some baggy clothes.

"Here, dress up as one of the crew, nobody'll notice, I promise." She smiled,

"Thank you so much, Mr. Gibbs." He cracked a smile too. Elizabeth slipped into a vacant room. Gibbs sat down on his stool, rubbing his temples, but turned around when he heard her voice whisper, and her head popped out from the doorway.

"Oh, and don't call me, Mrs. Turner." She shut the door again, and Gibbs smiled.


	2. Mr Dovely?

Elizabeth awoke the next day feeling cramped and achy. She had a throbbing headache and swirling innards only made her feel nauseous. The soft rocking of the boat was enough to make her hurl. She quickly grabbed a bucket normally used for waste products and after a couple gagging noises, the remains of any food that she had not digested or partially digested were in the metal container. The dirty-blonde haired woman rubbed her forehead and closed her eyes slowly, trying to ease the pain away. It must've been something bad she had eaten, or maybe just the rum smell that was every on the Black Pearl. Her stomach still gurgled unhappily, probably for hunger. Her eyebrows furrowed, as she glanced sideways. Her mind had already shifted to Will as soon as she caught a glimpse of the chest that lay on the small nightstand, which was actually just a small barrel, next to her. She felt a sadness pinch her heart, and tug at her emotions. Soundlessly, she grabbed the chest and opened it slightly. The beating of the heart beating only a few times slower than hers. She shut it and blinked the tears away. Elizabeth hoped that they would reach the Fountain of Youth soon to ease her stress. She thought about the dream again. The most she knew about Davy Jones, or the captain of the Flying Dutchman, was that they lived forever and, in Davy Jones' case, were extremely similar to many sea creatures. She knew that once she became too old and eventually passed away, Will would be in such a devastated state. Biting her lip, she thought about his turning into Davy Jones once again, and shuddered. The thought chilled her to the bone. She was determined to drink the mysterious water from the Fountain so that she could live forever for Will's sake. Slowly, the troubled woman lifted herself to her feet and scuffled out into the main hallway. Down a few steps, she heard laughter and talking. She sluggishly made her way to a small table and sat down. Gibbs was right. Nobody even recognized her face when she was seated. They all simply took her as a member of the crew they weren't acquainted with. Only Barbossa's hard face seemed to stare closely at her, inspecting her. He spoke,

"I don't remember ye being part of the crew…" She glanced up, although her face didn't show it, she was nervous. Gibbs spoke up,

"We picked the lad up over at Tortuga a couple days ago, remember?" She quickly followed up in a hoarser, deeper voice,

"The name's Jonathan…Jonathan Dovely." Elizabeth herself was a little surprised at how her voice had changed. The hoarseness probably came from the sick feeling she still had though. Barbossa spat on the ground before grinning at her with a mean sort of look in it,

"Alright then Mr. Dovely, tell me, what pirating acts have ye committed?" She almost placed her hands on her hips, but stopped herself.

"I've commandeered a ship with my past crew, stolen from a few shops around Port Wreather, and done my pirating acts as any good pirate should." All the other pirates laughed along with Barbossa except for Jack, who was drinking his rum, and Gibbs, who knew who Elizabeth was.

"Nobody's stolen anything from Port Wreather! It's almost impossible to get into with a true pirate ship!" Pintel snorted.

"Unless you had a small little sailboat." Pintel then commented lowly and rudely. The pirates laughed.

"Even at that, the only person who's been able to steal from there'd be Captain Jack himself." Ragetti piped in. They all turned to Jack to hear his words. He hiccupped a little from his rum before speaking,

"No mates, this lad's telling the truth." Gibbs and Elizabeth shared confused glances; Jack must've mistaken her for someone else. Captain Sparrow swaggered over to Elizabeth and looked at her carefully. She quickly looked down, hoping that he wouldn't recognize her. Nevertheless, he repeated,

"Yup, he's telling the truth." Barbossa growled,

"I don't believe it…" Almost sure that he had caught a stowaway on board. Elizabeth sighed quietly in relief. Thank goodness Jack was too drunk to realize who she really was. She thanked rum for this one time. When both captains had diverted their attention from Elizabeth, Gibbs scurried over and gave her some food. Quietly, he whispered,

"Mrs…er, Miss…ah Mr. Dovely." Gibbs managed to correct himself,

"Ye're one lucky gal…er lad, as I've said before." She nodded, still using her deeper, more masculine voice,

"Sure am." Jack came over to Gibbs and "Dovely".

"Say, can I talk to you for a bit, Dovely?" He questioned in a low tone. Elizabeth blinked and nodded slowly, looking worriedly at Gibbs. The ship had set off after Barbossa and Jack had boarded, so the Black Pearl was already far out at sea, this time heading to Tortuga. They were going to see if they could ask a certain person for help on their map dilemma. Elizabeth knew that if she had to go back now, she might not get another chance to get to go to the Fountain of Youth. She bit her lip as they slipped out onto the main deck. It was a bit strange just standing there waiting for Captain Sparrow to speak after a swig of rum. He rocked back and forth a bit in his all too familiar drunken way, before saying,

"I know you're not Mr. Dovely." She worriedly shot her gaze down onto the wooden planks below her.

"Er…I don't know what you're talking about…uh sir." She mumbled. Jack tapped the underside of her chin, and took another good, long look at her. He shook his head vigorously,

"Nope, you don't look like any crew member." Elizabeth froze. Maybe he was talking about he thought that she was a stowaway. Maybe she was going to be keelhauled. Maybe he was…

"You're Elizabeth Turner, plain and simple." She breathed, relieved.

"That's funny; you didn't remember me last time, Jack." He scoffed,

"Being a little drunk helps me think." She rolled her eyes,

"Plus, you sure don't act like a real pirate. Lookin' down all the time…that's what ladies do." She frowned,

"Hey, that's not nice! I actually resisted the urge to put my hands on my hips too! That should count!" He clapped once,

"Claps all around, Mrs. Turner." She stopped in the midst of her anger and quietly whispered,

"Don't call me Mrs. Turner." Jack gave a confused look.

"What?" She spoke a little louder,

"Don't call me Mrs. Turner." She repeated. He cocked his head funnily,

"You were just yellin' at me to call you it, and now you don't?" He muttered under his breath something about how women were always changing their minds. Elizabeth spoke up,

"Well, whenever you or Gibbs…" Jack's eyes widened,

"Oh, well that's not good then. Gibbs knew you were on the Black Pearl and he didn't even tell me! Fifty lashes…" She gasped,

"Jack, you wouldn't!" He laughed and winked,

"I'm just kiddin', luv." She smiled, knowing that he would now restrain from calling her Mrs. Turner.

"But why don't you like it? It's your new married name." He brought them back to the question at hand. She nodded slowly,

"I know, I know, but whenever any of you call me by it, it's like…it's like I'm not the same person." The pirate looked confused once again. She explained,

"It's like, now that I'm married, you don't treat me the same way."

"Well, now that you're married, don't we have to…?" She cut him off,

"No! No, don't treat me any differently! I want…to be…" She stumbled for words having spoken a little too quickly. He smiled triumphantly. Elizabeth raised an eyebrow,

"What?" He spoke just above a whisper,

"You want to be a pirate." She opened her mouth in shock,

"No, I do not! I…" He didn't let her finish. Being the immature adult he was, he began to sing a weird sort of mocking melody,

"Yes you do, yes you do!" She crossed her arms and huffed, although inside, she secretly knew that Jack must've hit the right answer. He stopped his little moment of glee, as he heard footsteps approaching.

"The crew must be done with breakfast. Okay, here are your orders, Mr. Dovely." He quickly began. She grinned.

"You just follow Gibbs around, and do whatever he tells you to do. If he doesn't have you do anything, just come to the helm and pretend like you're trying to help me with the map. Okay?" She nodded, straightened up, gave a little pretend salute, and dashed off back below deck. Elizabeth stood at the side of the doorway to let Barbossa and the other pirates emerge out. Barbossa yawned loudly, before smacking his lips and heading to the helm. Jack yelled,

"Hey, don't you dare touch the wheel, Barbossa or I'll…" His voice faded into nothing as both pirates scrambled to reach the wheel first, kicking and clawing as they had been before. She rolled her eyes. Elizabeth quickly pinpointed Gibbs and scurried over to his side, whispering,

"Jack knows who I am." Gibbs began to blubber,

"Oh no, he…I…and you…" She quieted him,

"Shush, it's fine. I'll explain it later, but for now, I'm following you around and you can give me orders." Gibbs scratched the back of his head,

"I dunno Miss…Mr. Dovely." The sides of her lips pulled down hard,

"Well, why not?" He stammered,

"Uh, well, you're a proper lady and being so I just don't think it's…" The sight of Elizabeth's apparent fuming made the words in Gibbs' mouth stop. He shook his head,

"Um, ah never mind. Come along then." He muttered, lowering his eyes. She triumphantly grinned and followed the pirate off to help unfurl the sails. Some of the other pirates made faces at her and spat on the ground before her. Elizabeth, remembering what Jack had told her, merely glared at them and spat on the ground right back. Gibbs, quite flustered with the situation at hand, blinked.

"Uh, Dovely, come on now." He quickly commented as some of the bigger pirates cracked their knuckles menacingly. Her eyes narrowed. She thought she could take them but…

"Alright…" She muttered, obediently following Gibbs. Once again, the immoral, dirty-faced pirates hooted and hollered at her loudly. She gritted her teeth in silence. Even as a "male" people still were rude to her. At least when she was a "female" they weren't as harsh. Most of the pirates were actually nice to her. Beginning to see another side in the pirates as she rethought the situation, she frowned even more. Gibbs snapped his fingers loudly, awakening her from her trance,

"Mr. Dovely!" He stated. She blinked a couple of times before responding,

"Oh, sorry Gibbs…" She muttered, still upset over her standings among the pirates.

"That's alright, just pull 'ere on this rope and tie it over there." He pointed over to a metal and wooden hook. She nodded, still slightly dazed, and yanked on the rope as hard as she could, pulling it slowly, but surely to the hook. She heard someone chortle,

"Heh, can barely pull a sail's rope…" A chorus of chuckles and snorts hardened Elizabeth's face. A feeling of embarrassment swept over the struggling woman as well. She managed, however, to pull the rope to the hook as Gibbs had wanted. She cracked a smile triumphantly and started tying it. Suddenly, the Black Pearl swung back and forth violently after hitting the top of a particularly high reef. The rope was pulling away, creating a fiery burn on Elizabeth's hands. She bit her lip and tried steadying the rope. The pull was too strong for her though. She shot up, still holding the rope tightly. A scream managed to find its way out of her throat, despite her efforts to hold them back. All the pirates glanced up in confusion. The rope quickly reached the end and slipped through a hole on the top of the mast. Elizabeth lost her grip on the rope and began falling back onto the deck. Her shrieks didn't hold back as she fell down. She shut her eyes, preparing for a rude impact, but felt only strong arms catch her. A nearly breathless "oof" was heard. She glanced up slowly. A particularly pained-faced Jack carefully set her down before rubbing his arms. Her open mouth closed itself relatively slowly, and she began to stutter,

"Oh, Captain Sparrow…I…" All the pirates' eyes were stuck on her. She bit her lip. Pintel, who had now finally decided to take a good look at her, questioned,

"Mrs. Turner?" All the pirates glanced worriedly at one another, Gibbs in particular, knowing that this wasn't good. Barbossa shoved past a row of pirates, snarling. His parchment colored teeth only suggested at the lack of hygiene that was present on the Black Pearl. Elizabeth felt woozy, as he approached.

"Mrs. Turner…" He growled. Jack scurried into the space in between the two,

"Oh, well what do you know?" He commented, clapping his hands together, seeing if the two were impressed. Barbossa barked,

"Ye knew about this, Sparrow!" He defensively jumped back a little,

"No I didn't! What are you talkin' about?" Barbossa pointed a menacing finger at him,

"That's why ye wanted to talk to 'him'!" Jack raised his hands,

"Well, we can't turn around now! We're already so close to Tortuga!" The pirate growled,

"Then we leave her at Tortuga." He angrily stomped back to his quarters. Jack threw a worried glance at Elizabeth. Tortuga was a pirate port, she'd never survive. He could only imagine what could happen to her. Her eyes were filled with unspeakable fright and worry as well. She took him to the side,

"Jack!" She earnestly whispered as Gibbs proceeded to shooing everybody away.

"What am I going to do? The chest could be stolen at Tortuga!" Jack gave a sideward glance to Elizabeth,

"Or worse, luv." She bit her lip. Her hand tugged on his dirty sleeve,

"What am I going to do?" She questioned again, a little more earnestly than before. Jack scratched the back of his head,

"Uh, I'll figure out something. For now, I guess I could try to convince Barbossa to let you stay." She winced,

"I…don't think that'd turn out well…" She muttered. He made a face in agreement, before turning and walking back to the wheel. Elizabeth felt a sickening feeling rising up. She leaned way over the edge of the boat and let her innards drop out for the second time in the day. Gibbs grimaced at the gagging noises. He handed her a wet cloth.

"Wet your face, Ms. Swann and try to relax." She wiped her mouth, before dabbing her face with the cloth on the cleaner side. It trembled in her shaking hands, as she handed it back to Gibbs,

"Gibbs…what am I going to do?" She put her face in her hands, as she repeated the same question for the third time. He sympathetically touched her right arm,

"Ms. Swann, just know that us crew, and I'm sure Captain Jack, won't let Barbossa put ye on that island." She pulled her hands away and smiled at him,

"Thank you, Gibbs." Elizabeth murmured. The skies were darkening quickly, as they approached Tortuga. All around them, the Earth rumbled loudly, and the seas splashed about in chorus. Her thoughts were just as complicated as the seas around her. She felt a cold tear slither down the side of her face. She tried to convince herself that it was only the freezing rain. It wasn't that Elizabeth doubted Jack and the crew at all; it was just the fact that Barbossa was never going to let her stay. He would force her onto the pirate island. Distressed, she went down into her cabin once again. She slipped inside her room, shut the door, and her body slid down it until she was sitting on the wooden, musty floor. Her silent tears shook her body, and she drew up her knees to her chest. She tried wiping the tears away from her face, but soon it was drenched with them, making it salty to taste. A thump on the door behind her nearly gave her a heart attack. She made a few strangled noises before managing to croak,

"Yes, who is it?" A familiar voice emerged,

"Lizzie?" Elizabeth swallowed her tears and wiped her face vigorously. She slowly creaked open the door,

"Yes, Jack, what is it?" He cleared his throat,

"Are you still a little shaken up?" She bit her bottom lip and nodded slowly before breaking into a quiet sob once again. Captain Sparrow blinked. He tried comforting her in the only way he could see possible,

"There, there, luv. I was just askin' about your condition…there's nothing to…" She pulled away from his touch and shivered on the bed in agony. He let out a big breath of air. It wasn't fun watching Elizabeth cry like this. He slowly revealed his compass to himself. He fingered it with his dirt-covered, pirate fingers before carefully sitting next to the poor woman. She glanced over at him. Jack let out another big breath before thrusting his compass into her hands.

"Here…it'll point to the thing you want most. If…if Barbossa is still bent on keeping you on Tortuga…I'm sure, Ms. Swann, you'll find a way to get off that island and you'll be able to navigate yourself to the Fountain of Youth…okay?" He held his breath to see her response. She looked at it questioningly.

"But how?" He muttered a few things under his breath along the lines of cursing and replied,

"My…my compass is special. It just…points to the thing you want the most, I really don't know." He repeated what he had said before. Her eyes widened, and she looked at the compass with pure interest. Jack smiled a bit at that.

"Well, it's yours Jack…I couldn't just…" He cut her off,

"No, no, yes you could." She smiled slightly at his assurance, before getting a mischievous look on her beautiful face,

"Where does the compass point for you?" He blinked again, before looking away.

"Uhm, no where. It just spins 'round and 'round." She caught his look with her glistening blue eyes,

"Really? Show me." She pressed the compass back into his hands. He felt a certain worry build up inside of him.

"No, let's see where it points for you first." He pushed the compass back. Elizabeth frowned and shook her head,

"No, you first."

"Ladies first."

"Age before beauty." Jack bridled at that one,

"Are you saying I'm old or ugly?" She shrugged, before breaking out into a full grin,

"Both?" He growled in mock anger, while coming to a compromise,

"Tell you what, luv. You go over there in that corner and see where the compass points for you, then I'll go and see where it points for me and then we'll tell each other, savvy?" She smiled,

"Alright, but you go first." He scoffed,

"Fine, it doesn't matter." Jack lumbered over to the corner, keeping his eyes on Elizabeth to make sure she wouldn't peek. She just kept smiling at him, as if she knew what the compass was going to point to. He then hunched over the compass and opened it gingerly. It spun around and around just as he had thought. Jack had begun to grin, but the compass turned slightly behind him in a faint sort of direction. He bit his lip, but it had once again started spinning around as before. Jack snapped it shut and turned to Elizabeth to see her reaction. She was still smiling as before. He made a face and handed her the compass,

"Your turn, Lizzie." She examined the compass carefully, as she opened it and it pointed almost immediately out to sea. Softly, she smiled and sat down next to Jack.

"Okay, so where'd it point to Lizzie?" She glanced over at him, still in a daze,

"Uh, oh out to sea…you know where Will is?" He threw his hands up in the air,

"Obviously…" He muttered. She pulled the chest from under the bed and cradled it in her arms, as if it were Will himself. Jack made a face. Elizabeth slyly questioned him,

"Where did it point for you, Captain Sparrow?" He stuttered slightly,

"Uhm, well, it spun around and around again, but pointed in a faint direction that away." He made some motions with his hand towards the back of the cabin,

"Must be where the Fountain of Youth is." He muttered. She studied Jack with sparkling eyes,

"Of course." She reassured him. They awkwardly sat there until Jack stood up and began to leave. Elizabeth stood up and asked,

"Jack, are you sure you want me to have this compass?" He turned around,

"Oh god, you're acting too womanly again. Didn't we discuss this earlier? When you're a pirate, you take what you can and give nothing back. If you get stuck on Tortuga, that's the best rule to follow." She paused and looked at Jack. He moved a little drunkenly with his hands up in the air.

"You're a pirate, Lizzie, whether you like it or not. I don't care what your name is. Mr. Dovely, Ms. Swann, Mrs. Turner…whoever you are! You are a pirate." She gave way to a small smile, and he was gone in an instant. Elizabeth opened the compass again, and it quivered faintly in the direction Jack had left in.

AN: I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean or any affiliated characters, savvy??? :D Ended on a faint Sparrabeth note, but it all depends on what I really think up on doing eventually. ;) Who knows?


	3. The Map

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN OR ANY AFFILIATED CHARACTERS. (this works better than putting it in the AN don't you think?)

"_You're a pirate, Lizzie, whether you like it or not. I don't care what your name is. Mr. Dovely, Ms. Swann, Mrs. Turner…whoever you are! You are a pirate." She gave way to a small smile, and he was gone in an instant. Elizabeth opened the compass again, and it quivered faintly in the direction Jack had left in._

Elizabeth was speechless. She snapped it shut and threw it under her bunk. Her breathing grew heavier and more rapid. She didn't know what it meant, but in the pit of her stomach, she felt a gnawing sort of sensation that could only be too surreal. She tried to soothe herself. _It was probably just…something else. You're freaking out about nothing. Calm down, what do you have to worry about anyways? _She bit her lip. _Everything… _She felt a similar wooziness begin to overtake her as it had before. The poor woman didn't have any time to think to herself about the situation at hand though. She heard Gibbs yell outside,

"Pull into port! Put your legs into it you scurvy dogs! C'mon, c'mon!" She swallowed the disgusting feeling down hard, and stumbled onto the deck with the chest in her arms. She pulled on Gibbs' shoulder,

"We're here? Already?" The worried tone her voice was all too apparent. He gave her a sad sort of look,

"I'm sorry, Ms. Swann. I'm afraid we are." The dark, almost foreboding, island of Tortuga made Elizabeth's head swirl. Jack burst out onto the deck. He squinted at the island, and then at the sky.

"Well, that was a nap that got too long." He muttered. Elizabeth stopped him in his path, her eyes lined with helplessness.

"Jack…" She whispered softly. Captain Sparrow placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Listen, luv. I've got a plan, I dreamt of it. But you have to go along with everything I say, you understand? _**Everything**_." She bit her lower lip in slight confusion and uncertainty. He impatiently spoke again,

"Seriously!" Elizabeth nodded, half in real trust, half in insecurity of what to do anyhow. It was a nice, kind of weird, twist of fate that he had dreamed up a plan for her. Maybe this would actually work. He patted her shoulder,

"Good, good. Now, come on." He took a good hold of her right arm and pulled her to the walking plank. They all began to load off. Barbossa trudged after them all,

"Alright then, mates!" He yelled out loudly.

"Listen up! Ye've got to find someone who can interpret this map 'ere." He held up the aged map in the wind and the flimsy paper flapped about. They all chorused,

"Aye, aye, Captain!" Jack spat on the ground,

"Pft, Captain…" He muttered angrily. Gibbs nudged him in the ribs hard with his left elbow. Sparrow glared at him, but said nothing. Elizabeth stood close to the both of them. As Barbossa passed her, he grinned almost cruelly,

"This'll be your home for now, Mrs. Turner." He commented a little coldly. She frowned at him, and grumbled,

"It's Ms. Swann…or Mr. Dovely." Jack smiled at her with pride of her new attitude, and a sense of what Elizabeth had been before she had been mollified by the calmness of the island. Barbossa frowned almost immediately due to the failed attempt at implementing fear into Elizabeth's bright, clear-cut, blue eyes. He pushed past her and went on to invading Tortuga with the crew. She began to follow Jack when she stopped,

"Oh, I almost forgot something!" She stated, relieved that she had remembered. Quickly, she rushed back into her cabin, and grabbed her dress. Her hand barely brushed over the compass. Its cold, almost eerie feel sent shivers into her system. She hesitated, before deftly grabbing the compass as well. Elizabeth ran back onto the port. Jack threw his hands up in the air,

"For the love of…" He began. Gibbs cut off Jack,

"T'is fine, Ms. Swann. We best be hurrying on our way though." He hurriedly took off into the slummy, darkened town. Jack made a face,

"Sure, leaves us alone…" He muttered under his breath. Elizabeth rolled her eyes. He had been making short and crude comments ever since they had docked. The freezing air made her wet hair feel brittle, and her cold clothes gave way to goose bumps that rose all over her arms. Jack began to walk briskly into the darkness after Gibbs. She quickly followed him. His fast turns and rapid changes in direction and speed had her confused and dizzy all at once. All of the tall buildings and cracked windows looked the same. The cobblestone roads seemed to lead her in circles, and she felt as if they were going in circles. She grabbed onto his arm and heaved,

"Jack, slow down! Why are you rushing?" Her arms were trying to hold all of her belongings, and her struggling was a bit funny. He threw a backwards glance, but spent no time slowing down,

"Because, I'm afraid someone's going to get to him first." Her grip on his arm loosened, and she began to run after him again. She frowned hard. What was his problem? He seemed extra jumpy and extra…drunk…she noted. Although he was running, she could still see the slight drunken swagger in his step. She lost track of him, as they ran into a huge crowd of people in a street cross section. Elizabeth ran into pirates, wenches, and an array of other people she didn't even want to imagine who they were. She uttered small apologies here and there, while franticness glistened in her eyes. A tall, stubble chinned, man blocked her path with his large frame. She glanced up, before trying to scoot past him,

"Excuse me, I'm trying to…" He grinned. Disgusted, she stepped back a bit. His teeth were more rotten than Barbossa's; which was almost unbelievable to her. Greasy hair came down in little thickets from under his drooping hat. He took a hold of her chin with his pointer finger and thumb,

"What's the rush, toots?" He murmured with the horrible smirk still pasted on his face. Angry and offended at his behavior, she took out two, particularly heavy, and large guns, placing her stuff down for the moment. With them, she slammed both sides of his grotesque middle, kicked him down with her right foot and pressed the gun to his chest. She felt her blood rushing, adrenaline pumping throughout her. Her teeth gritted, she clicked the gun,

"Watch it…you don't know who you're dealing with…" She growled, before removing the gun from his chest. In that second, he scrambled to his feet and attempt to punch her to the left,

"Why you little…!" The man began. A barrel cascaded down from the right of him and knocked him clean off his feet. He fell down hard onto the street and passed out, blood streaming from his nose. She whipped her head to the side only to see Jack's annoyed face. Elizabeth heard him sigh,

"You always seem to get in these sorts of situations, don't you luv?" She frowned and her eyes narrowed, as she slipped the guns back into their holsters, and picked up the chest, compass, and dress.

"What's that supposed to mean? I don't cause this." He raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I don't!" She insisted.

"At least you're acting more like yourself." This time, she raised her own eyebrow,

"What?" He shook his head and grinned,

"Nothing, nothing." Jack was beginning to wonder whether or not Elizabeth couldn't really take care of herself on the streets of Tortuga. He took off his hat and handed it to her,

"Here, with your men's clothes and my hat, unless we have some queer people roaming the streets, people won't bother you." He paused, a hand to his mouth,

"Oh, maybe wenches…ah, but just shove past them." She pulled her hair up and hid it well under his hat. Jack pulled the rim of the hat way over her eyes.

"Jack, I can barely see with this covering my eyes." She said, confused as to why he would do that. He smirked,

"You won't have to." His hand latched onto hers. She was pulled around by him left and right. She felt her feet nearly trip over themselves, but with Captain Sparrow as a strong support, she managed to keep up. Bit by bit, she felt his pace slow. Finally, after what seemed like hours of running about, they arrived at a loud, obnoxious bar. She pulled the hat up to reveal her eyes and squinted, as she read the sign,

"Telma's Tavern." Her lips muttered. He nodded,

"Yup, that's the place." She followed him in,

"Yes, that's fine, but who is it we're seeing actually?" He hesitated,

"Uhm…an acquaintance." The pirate rushed in, pushing through waves of people and turning down drinks, wenches, and more. Elizabeth made a face and tried copying Jack. She was offered drinks, wenches mistook her for a male, and several people called her over for games of poker and rummy. Quickly, she walked past them and stopped at the door that Jack was standing in front of. She raised an eyebrow,

"What are we doing?" He shushed her and knocked loudly on the door,

"Who is it?" The man gruffly answered,

"I'm very busy. T'is important?" The voice remarked in the silence. Jack wet his lips and spoke a little less confidently than what Elizabeth was used to,

"It's me, Captain Jack Sparrow." She heard cackles within the room,

"T'is 'Captain' now? Ye not be lyin'? She saw Jack twitch, and his expressions grow bitter,

"Yes, it's captain now. I need to talk to you." The voice boomed,

"Alright then, come in!" Her lips pulled down,

"I don't like this man, Jack. What right does he have to make fun of you that way? You didn't even say anything to him!" He shot her a look,

"Listen, that's none of your business. I want you to stay out here…and stay out of trouble while you're at it." She was a little taken back by his sudden sour mood. He stepped in and shut the door securely. Quietly, she crept up to the door and put her ear to it, straining to hear the conversation. Jack stood solidly in place. The man in front of him turned towards him and stepped forward,

"Jackie…" He began. The hardened expression on Captain Sparrow's face was unmoved except for the small wince that was shown in response to the name "Jackie".

"I need you to help me work this map out. It leads to the Fountain of Youth." He unfurled the map onto the man's cluttered desk. The aged and tired lined eyes of the older pirate opened a bit more.

"Where did ye get this…?" He murmured, feeling the map with his fingers. Jack snatched it back and rolled it up,

"I borrowed it for the moment." The man's eyes were unwavering.

"I've spent all my life lookin' fer this, and ye've found it." There was no excitement in Jack's face.

"How can ye be so stern and not excited by this?" Jack replied stiffly,

"I don't want to become obsessed with something like this like you did. It's important, but I have other things that I have to look out for, like myself." The older pirate lowered his eyes in slight shame.

"Well, Jackie, ye can take this then." He pulled a drawer open, and lifted out a musty smelling book from it. He opened the cover and ripped out all the pages of the book, scattering them across the tattered, carpeted floor. His fingers held up a folded piece of paper, that was previously hidden by the binding of the book, nearly as aged as the map was. Jack opened up the map again and the man placed the other map on top of it. He pointed to the turning center.

"Ye turn the outer circle to the right until it clicks into place, then ye press down on these icons 'ere." He tapped certain symbols on the map.

"The ship, the island, the woman, the compass, and the chest. In that order, be careful ye don't forget." Jack nodded,

"I won't forget." The man continued,

"Press on this middle circle twice, and put that compass that ye have on there, and the map will transform, lighting up the section of the sea ye need to travel in."

"So this map doesn't really matter. It's the one that you had we really needed?" The man nodded,

"See, it be just a cover for it." Jack grabbed the map and rolled it up tightly.

"We'll be on our way now." The man furrowed his eyebrows,

"We?" The other pirate froze and quietly face palmed.

"Me and me first mate, yes." Jack replied over his shoulder. The man nodded his head slowly,

"Bring 'im in." Captain Sparrow bit his lip but tried to maintain the harsh look that he had. The other pirate approached the door.

"What are ye waiting fer Jack? 'Ere, I'll open the door." The man flung open the door. Elizabeth nearly fell in. She fixed her hat so it covered her eyes well, although her image was slightly ruined due to her fumbling about with her stuff. Both pirates glanced at her, confused. She kept her head a little high, remembering what Jack had told her, and cleared her throat.

"Sorry, sirs. Am I needed?" Using her more masculine voice. The man shook his head,

"No, I just want'd to see what types of lads Jackie here has on his ship." It was Elizabeth's turn to be confused. She shifted her eyes to Jack to see what was going on with this weird man. He wasn't facing her though; his back was instead towards her. She looked back at the man,

"Jackie?" She managed to question. He nodded,

"Yes, be there a problem?" She swallowed and shook her head,

"No, sir." Her eyes lowered for a quick second. Jack abruptly took her by the arm and began to head out the door.

"That's all we'll be needing, thanks and good bye." He called over his shoulder. Elizabeth glanced behind and saw the man staring at a beautifully framed picture in his hand. He looked vaguely familiar, but Elizabeth couldn't exactly remember who he was. She opened her mouth to question Jack, but he cut her off before she could begin,

"You don't need to know the man. You know the information though right?" Her words came out all mixed up,

"But…how…I wasn't…did you…?" He looked at her with a little smile on his lips,

"I know you too well, Lizzie." She looked at him with large, watery-blue eyes. He shrugged, and she smiled softly,

"Yes, I remember the information." He nodded,

"Good, now listen." He began to tell her his not-so well thought out plan,

"When we get on the ship, I'm almost sure no one will have found anything about the map." She bit her lip,

"Here's hoping, right?" Elizabeth murmured. Jack gave a slight nod,

"Yea, so anyways, you have to pretend to suddenly pass out on the ship. I'll catch you as you fall backwards." She frowned,

"But…how can I fake a fainting?" He waved a hand and said, exasperated,

"Just…pretend!" She hesitated, trying to picture her fake passing out.

"After a bit, when you hear the words, 'Let's see the map.' By Gibbs, then you pretend to awaken having seen some strange, mystifying thing." Her head cocked to the left a bit in partial confusion and excitement.

"You tell them you know how to work the map after seeing some…strange thing, I don't know make it up." She nodded slowly, following along the best she could.

"Then, we'll force/_**persuade **_Barbossa into letting you stay on the ship, and soon enough, we'll be off to the Fountain of Youth you can drink it for that whelp Will." She frowned and protested,

"He's not a whelp!" He rolled his eyes,

"Okay, stupid Will." She argued again,

"He's not stupid either, Jack!" A little frustrated, he replied,

"Alright, alright, just plain Will. That better?" She smiled,

"Yes, thank you." He made a weird sort of face before nearly bumping into Gibbs.

"Thanks goodness, Captain. Did ye get the information?" Jack responded with a smirk,

"No, of course not, Gibbs. Ms. Swann here knows the information." Gibbs looked confused, before his eyes widened and he began to grin,

"Ah, yes, right." The other pirate's dark circled eyes studied Elizabeth,

"Do you need a run through of the plan again?" She blinked a few times,

"Oh, um no thank you. Let's just hurry back before they leave without any of us." Jack nodded in agreement,

"Good point there, Lizzie." The race back to the Black Pearl seemed shorter.

"Why did it take so long for us to get there?" She asked Jack, slightly out of breath. Jack responded,

"Well, we had to throw a few of our crew members off course, and I had to make sure that no one was following us. Gibbs had to make sure that Barbossa wasn't around either." She grimaced,  
"That horribly, vicious, dirty dog! Who does he think he is anyways?" Jack rolled his eyes,

"I really don't know, luv, but I agree with you full-heartedly on that one." He scrambled onto the deck of the Black Pearl following Gibbs. Reaching down, he then pulled Elizabeth up. Barbossa stepped forward, clearly put out and angry,

"Mrs. Turner, what are ye doing back?" Jack was about to speak, but Elizabeth stepped forward instead, wiping her hands on her pants,

"I'm back because I want to be back, Barbossa." She confidently stated. A couple of the ruder pirates snorted slightly at her sudden "burst" of confidence. Barbossa smirked,

"I appreciate the sudden courage ye feel Mrs. Turner, but that would've helped better with our other aspirations in the past. We don't need ye anymore, and we certainly don't need any females bringin' us down this time 'round." Ragetti, trying to be more supportive of Elizabeth commented shakily,

"Besides, don't you need to wait for Will?" She felt her heart ache suddenly,

"I'm doing this for Will, and I'm not just going to sit around and wait for things anymore." She murmured, holding the chest in her arms a little more tightly. A taller, lankier pirate in the back groaned,

"Ye're always doin' stuff fer him, and e's always tryin' to do stuff for ye. Don't that make the both of ye tired?" She shot the pirate a look,

"Of course, _**pirates **_wouldn't understand love!" She angrily growled. Jack and Gibbs winced. Elizabeth continued, pointing a finger at Barbossa,

"You of all people wouldn't understand a thing! First you're on our side, and then you're not! You use people for your own selfish needs! You're a horrible person!" The old pirate smirked once again and whispered,

"Big news, Mrs. Turner, I'm a pirate!" He loudly finished the sentence. Everyone chorused in laughter. Her eyes furiously blazing in rage, she stepped forward. In an instant, she felt all at once woozy. Figures were beginning to blur together and the incessant laughter only made her head hurt. Everything mixed together, and the world began to spin. She rocked back and forth unsteadily. Gibbs and Jack looked at each other, and then back at Elizabeth.

"Lizzie…?" Jack began. She felt her legs give out, unable to support her body weight very suddenly. Elizabeth fell backwards into Jack's arms. The dress fell to the floor along with the chest and the compass. The pirates slowly stopped laughing and looked at her curiously. Captain Sparrow's eyebrows furrowed, and he opened his mouth to speak,

"…Well…that was odd." He muttered, at a loss for words. It was either she acted her fainting incredibly well, or something was really wrong. Jack was more for the second option. Without much notice, Barbossa bent down to pick up the chest very slowly. Jack pointed a finger,

"Hey, don't even touch that." He warned. Barbossa growled and pulled his hands away.  
"Well, I still have the map." He taunted. Jack made a face, _Oh, here it comes…_

"Where in bloody hell is it!?" Barbossa yelled, as he felt around for it. He stopped abruptly and turned on Jack,

"Ye took it! Ye little, swiping rat!" Jack raised an eyebrow and argued,

"Oh, like you aren't one?" The pugnacious looks in their eyes almost became a real threat to them both, but Gibbs coughed loudly,

"Don't ye all think we should try focusin' on Ms. Swann 'ere a little bit more?" They all looked back at Elizabeth. Her expressions didn't seem quite at rest. Jack placed her down gently and tried shaking her awake,

"Lizzie? Lizzie? Um, are you okay? You should really wake up now…" He spoke with slight worry lining his voice. Fortunately, no one picked it up. Elizabeth, however, was swirling in a different world, almost literally in fact.

* * *

Clear water surrounded her, yet she couldn't see her reflection in it. She stepped around a bit; yes, she seemed to be walking on the water. Confused, she saw a dark figure approach her. The mist that surrounded her instantly blew away, and she could clearly see her. She managed to stutter,

"C-Calypso?" The dark skinned woman smiled,

"Good, I'm remembahd." Elizabeth wet her lips and stared in disbelief at the sea goddess who stood before her. Calypso spoke softly,

"Dis may be a bit weird for ya, yes?" She blinked and nodded,

"Yes, ju-just a little." She stuttered. Calypso laughed,

"You don' need ta be afraid, Elizabet'." She stopped laughing and began her face began to turn serious,

"Aldough, da news I bring you is someting you may need ta look out for." She worriedly searched Calypso's face to see if she was telling the truth.

"I sense a new rival approachin', an' old rivals comin' back." The mysterious woman closed her eyes,

"I see many new tings..." Elizabeth cleared her throat,

"Are…are these new things good?" Calypso opened her eyes,

"It all depends on 'ow you look at it. Dey are all changin'. I can't tell wheda or not certain tings will 'appen." Elizabeth was still stunned,

"That's comforting I suppose, but why have you come to tell me all of this." She smiled,

"Didn't ya need ta faint anyways, Elizabet'?" The confused woman gasped,

"Wait, how did you know about that?" Calypso smiled more sadly this time,

"Dere ain't much for dis old spirit ta do. Yet, I'm tied ta you, Will, and dat Jack because you are all da ones I have vowed ta watch ova." Elizabeth said nothing.

"You all did release me, didn't ya?" Elizabeth shifted her gaze to the ground.

"Well, it wasn't really us. We were…just sort of there. Barbossa did most of the work." The goddess spat on the ground abruptly,

"Ach, he don't need any lookin' ova. We bot' agree 'e's not a good person." She nodded slowly and agreed,

"He's not incredibly nice." Calypso responded more thoughtfully,

"You're a good person, Elizabet'. You and Will and…sometimes dat Jack." Elizabeth smiled before responding,

"I'm honored that you see it that way."

"Pahaps Barbossa will change as time wears on." Elizabeth looked away, and her face twitched,

"Hmf, I doubt it." Calypso placed a cold hand on her shoulder,

"People change, Elizabet'. You 'ave…Will has…an' dat Jack has." Elizabeth glanced up,

"I don't think Jack or I have changed. Will has changed, yes…" The older woman smiled, almost wistfully,

"I suppose ya don' notice ye're own a changin'. Do ya still remembah da times wit' your fatha in Port Royal an' England?" The image of her father and all of the old things she used to cherish flooded back. She was silent.

"Ya've changed, Elizabet', an' more tings are 'bout to change. Dat's why I've come. I've come to tell ya ta accept dese changes even if ya don' know what's goin' on." Elizabeth's eyes finally looked up, and she saw the almost motherly look in Calypso's eyes. She managed to thank her,

"Th-thank you, Calypso." Calypso smiled,

"No, dank you Elizabet'." In a second, Calypso vanished under the water, as if she had suddenly fallen through. The mist returned rapidly, and Elizabeth felt her head starting to hurt. Voices were beginning to be heard…

* * *

"Ms. Swann!" No response.

"Lizzie?" No response. Barbossa grunted,

"Never mind her, she'll wake up eventually. Now, let's see the map…" Elizabeth shot up from the floor, breathless. Gibbs jumped back and Jack pulled his hands away quickly. Both pirates glanced at each other, relieved,

"Geez, Lizzie, you nearly gave me and Gibbs a heart attack." Jack told her. She blinked, still thinking about Calypso, and what she had told her,

"Oh, sorry, Jack…sorry, Gibbs." She managed to apologize.

"T'is nothin' Ms. Swann." The old, first-mate reassured her. Captain Sparrow eyed Elizabeth, having many questions, but knowing that now wasn't the best time to ask. Elizabeth felt the same way, filled with questions as Jack was. They both were silent. Barbossa spoke up impatiently,

"The map, Jack." He pulled it out,

"Oh, right, right." His eyes shifted to the dazed female on the ground. He cleared his throat, and Elizabeth immediately remembered what she had to do. She jumped up from the ground and faked urgency in her voice,

"Barbossa, I know how to work the map!" The wrinkly, aged pirate scowled,

"Really now?" She nodded and explained,

"Calypso. A vision of Calypso. She told me how to work the map, so we know where the Fountain of Youth is." Barbossa seemed more interested after she mentioned Calypso.

"Ah, so that sea goddess really is lookin' after us now?" Elizabeth hesitated,

"Well, yes…I-I guess you can put it that way." Barbossa gruffly responded,

"Alright then, Ms. Swann, show us how ye work this map." Jack raised a finger,

"There's a catch, Barbossa. A condition." The scruffy pirate grumbled,

"What's the condition?" The other pirate grinned childishly,

"You let Ms. Swann here stay on the ship and come along with us to the Fountain of Youth." Barbossa snarled, and the clear annoyance and bottled rage was shown clearly through his façade. Jack just innocently questioned him again,

"So…? Yes or no?" The other pirate straightened his anger out and merely frowned at Jack. Reluctantly, he replied,

"…Alright, fine, fine…she can come." Jack smiled in clear triumph and looked at Elizabeth. She was grinning widely from ear to ear, extremely pleased. Barbossa slapped the map down onto a stray table. Elizabeth stepped forward and did exactly as the strange man from before had said. She first placed the other map on top of the first map. All the pirates glanced, confused, at one another, trying to figure out the logic in this. Gibbs and Jack were the only ones truly, confidently, in silly smiles still. Her slim fingers turned the outer circle all the way to the right until a whisper of a click was heard. She tapped the ship, the island, the woman, the compass, and the chest, in that order. The map began to ruffle bit by bit. Light began to emerge from underneath the map. The men stepped back a bit. Elizabeth, still unfazed, pressed the middle circle twice. She picked up the compass from the floor and pushed it firmly into place. The circles on the map turned rapidly, making a faint whirring noise. The light that had been weak at first, burst forth brilliantly. The sky above them was illuminated tremendously. Around the Black Pearl, the waters grew unsettled. All of them held onto something. Gibbs held the mast, Barbossa held onto a railing, Jack held onto the side of the Black Pearl, and Elizabeth held onto him. Howling winds screamed for a split second and then everything died down very suddenly. Trepid with a bit of fear, the young, brave woman stepped forward once again and picked up the map. It felt warm in her hands. The top map had melted into the bottom one to create a true map. It looked nothing like any of the maps she had seen before though. She made a face, as she tried to interpret it. Barbossa went behind her and looked at the map,

"What…is that?" He asked softly. Jack scoffed from behind, unimpressed.

"You mean, that whole whoosh, and splashing and everything was for just that? You know, I expected a lot more…" Elizabeth held the map up to the light, sensing that it was the right thing to do. The light pierced through only one part of the map. She smiled, _So that's what he meant by the light lighting up a part of the map. _Barbossa made a face too,

"There always has to be a catch, doesn't there?"

* * *

Miles of miles away, a telescope snapped shut. A deep, accented voice spoke roughly,

"The light…it has come through and brightened the sky. It is time…"

AN: More pirates, mystery, fun, and downright hilariousness! XD Hope you enjoyed this part. (I certainly enjoyed writing it) Left you with a bit of the last chapter on the top and someone new at the bottom. *OOH AHH* Who could this mysterious new person be? I shan't tell. ;) I have so much more in store...I just don't know how to word it. XD Sorry to make you guys wait! Luv y'all. 3


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